Nebula-colored lightning erupted across the kingdom. A violent surge of celestial energy ripped through the storm-dark heavens, scattering layers of black cloud across the horizon as a thunderous crack tore through the skies, bathing Solarynth in flashes of violet, sapphire, and gold.
Solarynth moved.
The world lost sight of him instantly. A crushing distortion swept through the kingdom, pulling countless civilians from danger as a continuous burst of crackling lightning tore across the streets, painting the city in countless streaks of nebular light.
Collapsing bridges emptied in a heartbeat. A sudden rush of force swept through the crumbling structures, carrying terrified civilians into safety as a deafening groan of breaking stone tore through the air, burying the abandoned crossings beneath avalanches of shattered rubble.
"W-What just happened?!"
"We were on the bridge!"
"How are we here?!"
A mother pulled her child against her chest, staring at the distant collapse while dozens of survivors looked around in complete disbelief.
Exploding alleyways lost their victims instantly. A violent displacement ripped through the narrow streets, removing children from the paths of destruction as a thunderous blast tore through the district, swallowing the brick walls in choking clouds of dust and debris.
"The alley is collapsing!"
"Someone saved us!"
"Look at the sky!"
Several civilians pointed upward as violet and sapphire lightning streaked across the heavens faster than their eyes could properly follow.
Falling towers reached empty ground. A powerful vibration rolled through the city blocks, pulling entire crowds beyond the reach of disaster as a deep structural collapse tore through the skyline, showering the streets with stone and twisted steel.
"That's Solarynth!"
"It has to be!"
"No one else can move that fast!"
Every nanosecond became a rescue.
A relentless wave of motion swept across the kingdom, carrying hundreds of civilians into protected shelters as a constant chorus of crackling lightning tore through the atmosphere, leaving countless flashes of violet and gold suspended across the darkness.
Market squares emptied without warning. A sudden displacement rippled through the crowded districts, removing every remaining civilian from danger as a violent storm roar tore across the city, scattering shattered glass through the air like frozen stars.
"He saved the entire square..."
"Nobody was left behind."
"Not a single person."
To the people, rescue felt unreal.
A wave of confusion washed through the survivors, pulling them from certain death as a fading crackle of nebular energy drifted through the shelters, surrounding frightened families with the distant echoes of a catastrophe they had already escaped.
Above the kingdom, Solarynth carved living constellations across the heavens. A torrent of nebula-colored lightning spiraled through the storm clouds, stretching luminous trails across the sky as a continuous thunderous rumble tore through the atmosphere, transforming the darkness into a vast celestial ocean of violet, sapphire, and gold.
Within the storm itself, Solarynth continued moving.
Another hundred lives vanished from danger.
Another hundred appeared in safety.
Again.
And again.
And again.
His voice finally escaped between bursts of impossible speed.
"Keep moving."
A family appeared beside a shelter entrance.
"Inside."
A group of injured civilians materialized near royal medics.
"You're safe now."
The evacuation ended before destruction could follow.
A final surge of velocity swept through the kingdom, clearing every reachable life from danger as the roaring storm tore across the landscape, arriving only to find empty streets and abandoned buildings waiting beneath its shadow.
Disaster remained.
A suffocating fury rolled across the burning city, consuming towers and streets as the relentless howl of the storm tore through the kingdom, covering the horizon in fire, smoke, and ruin.
Yet every life that could be saved was already beyond its reach.
Only a fading constellation of nebular lightning remained behind. A quiet afterglow drifted through the heavens, dissolving the luminous trails across the clouds as the distant crackle of dying energy faded into the darkness, leaving behind the final proof that Solarynth had been there at all.
"He saved us..."
The whisper spread through the shelter.
A quiet awe settled across the survivors as distant thunder rolled beyond the walls, reminding them how close death had come.
Above the kingdom, the last traces of nebular lightning faded into the night.
Nebula-colored lightning continued spiraling across the kingdom.
A restless vibration swept through the town district, rattling the rooftop tiles beneath the wind as a deafening crack of thunder tore through the heavens, bathing the buildings in flashes of violet, sapphire, and gold.
At the edge of the district, Shay rested atop a stone building.
A cool breeze drifted across the rooftop, stirring his jester clothing as the distant roar of the storm echoed throughout the kingdom, painting his mask in shifting nebular colors.
His eyes followed the lightning.
A strange pressure rippled through the atmosphere, drawing his attention toward the countless trails of celestial energy racing through the streets as a continuous crackle of electricity tore across the skyline, illuminating the city below.
"Hey, Alaric."
A quiet curiosity settled into his voice as another streak of nebula-colored lightning flashed across the horizon, stretching from one side of the kingdom to the other.
"Are you sensing this?"
The response came from below.
A heavy tremor rolled through the street, lifting loose stones from the ground as a deep grinding rumble tore through the district, pulling a massive rock golem from the earth.
The construct rose.
A powerful vibration traveled through its stone frame, carrying its passenger upward as fragments of debris tumbled from its shoulders, scattering dust throughout the air.
Alaric ascended toward the rooftop.
The climb ended moments later. A calm stillness settled across the building as the rock golem stopped beside the ledge, lowering its massive hand while Alaric stepped onto the rooftop.
His eyes moved toward the sky.
A thoughtful interest settled across his face as nebula-colored lightning spiraled through the storm clouds, weaving luminous paths across the heavens while distant thunder rolled over the kingdom.
"Hm."
A faint pressure drifted through the air as another brilliant streak of violet and gold tore across the horizon, casting its glow across the rooftops beneath them.
"How intriguing."
The lightning surged again.
A vast wave of celestial energy swept across the kingdom, scattering clouds across the heavens as a thunderous crack tore through the atmosphere, transforming the night sky into a living galaxy.
Alaric adjusted his cane.
A quiet scrape echoed across the rooftop stones as the polished tip settled firmly against the surface, grounding him while his gaze remained fixed on the celestial display unfolding above Solarynth.
"The star is finally showing his true self."
The nebular lightning continued spreading.
A brilliant torrent of violet, sapphire, and gold rolled through the heavens, stretching luminous scars across the night as the distant roar of the storm tore through the kingdom, illuminating every corner of the city beneath its glow.
Neither of the two looked away.
The nebular lightning intensified.
A growing pressure swept through the heavens, twisting the storm clouds into vast spirals as a continuous crackle of celestial energy tore across the kingdom, bathing the skyline in rivers of violet, sapphire, and gold.
Shay's expression hardened.
A subtle unease settled into his chest as the endless trails of lightning continued multiplying across the horizon, transforming the sky into something that looked less like magic and more like a living galaxy.
"He's getting better."
A distant thunderclap rolled through the kingdom as another streak of nebular light crossed the entire capital, reaching one side of the city and returning before the sound had fully faded.
"Way better."
The storm answered.
A violent surge of energy rippled through the atmosphere, scattering the upper cloud layers apart as a deafening crack tore through the heavens, revealing countless luminous pathways stretching across the night.
Alaric remained silent.
A thoughtful tension settled across his face as his eyes followed the celestial trails, studying the impossible precision hidden within every movement while the distant roar of the storm echoed throughout the kingdom.
"Indeed."
A quiet scrape traveled across the rooftop as he adjusted the position of his cane, keeping his gaze fixed on the heavens above.
"His control has improved dramatically."
Another burst of nebular lightning erupted.
A wave of celestial force rolled through the atmosphere, illuminating the city beneath as a thunderous rumble tore through the clouds, painting every rooftop in shifting colors.
Alaric's eyes narrowed.
A growing concern moved behind his calm expression as the countless streams of energy continued flowing through the kingdom, each one carrying enough power to reduce entire districts to ash if mishandled.
"The terrifying part isn't his speed."
A cold breeze swept across the rooftop, stirring the edges of their clothing as distant lightning continued carving luminous scars through the heavens.
"It's how efficiently he's channeling it."
The sky brightened again.
A powerful vibration spread across the kingdom, rattling loose stones along the rooftops as a relentless crackle of celestial energy tore through the atmosphere, surrounding the capital in a living storm.
Shay folded his arms.
A thoughtful silence settled between them as he watched another arc of nebular lightning vanish beyond the horizon.
"Then what's bothering you?"
Alaric looked upward.
A quiet weight settled into his voice as another wave of celestial power rolled through the clouds, illuminating the lenses of his glasses in shifting violet and gold.
"Power always has a price."
The storm continued raging.
A vast torrent of nebular energy spiraled through the heavens, scattering cloud formations apart as a deep thunderous roar tore across the kingdom, transforming the night sky into a cosmic ocean of light.
Alaric's grip tightened slightly around his cane.
A faint tension traveled through his hand as he continued watching the impossible display unfolding above Solarynth.
"True magical Spite was never meant to flow through a mortal body at this scale."
The wind strengthened.
A restless current swept across the rooftop, carrying dust along the stone as the constant crackle of celestial lightning echoed through the distance.
"Every channel has limits."
Another streak crossed the kingdom.
A violent burst of velocity ripped through the heavens, stretching a luminous scar from one horizon to the other as a deafening thunderclap tore through the atmosphere, shaking the rooftops beneath it.
Alaric's eyes remained fixed on the fading trail.
A quiet certainty settled across his expression as the final remnants of nebular light dissolved into the darkness.
"And eventually..."
The storm rolled across the heavens.
A suffocating pressure drifted through the clouds, scattering the last traces of lightning across the horizon as a distant rumble echoed throughout the kingdom.
"...even stars burn themselves out."
Shay looked over toward Alaric, tilting his head slightly as confusion settled across his face.
"What are you saying?"
A quiet understanding settled over Alaric's expression as he continued watching the nebula-colored lightning race across the kingdom, illuminating the distant rooftops in flashes of violet, sapphire, and gold.
"Most people believe power follows a path."
A slow breeze swept across the rooftop, tugging at his coat as the distant rumble of celestial lightning rolled across the horizon.
"They awaken magic. They learn control. They shape it. They master it. Eventually, they reach Dominion."
His gaze remained fixed on the storm.
"That is how mortals grow."
A thoughtful silence lingered between them as another spiral of nebular light carved across the heavens, stretching from one side of the kingdom to the other.
"But Solarynth was never a mortal."
Shay frowned.
Alaric adjusted his cane.
"The Five Stages were created to explain power. They were never created to explain beings like him."
A low vibration rolled through the rooftop as another wave of lightning erupted somewhere beyond the city walls.
"Dominion means imposing your magic onto reality."
His eyes narrowed.
"A Celestial does not impose power upon reality."
A faint smile touched his face.
"Reality adjusts itself around a Celestial."
Shay's expression slowly changed.
The difference sounded small, implication was horrifying.
Alaric continued.
"Look carefully."
Nebula-colored lightning fractured across the sky once more.
Entire districts vanished from danger before buildings collapsed. Thousands of people appeared inside shelters before debris could reach the ground. Fires continued burning across empty streets while shattered stone crashed into places where civilians no longer existed.
The disaster was still happening.
Yet the casualties had already been removed from the equation.
"Do you see it now?"
Alaric's voice lowered.
"That isn't speed alone."
A heavy realization settled across the rooftop.
"At one trillion times the speed of light, movement becomes meaningless. Distance becomes meaningless."
Another flash illuminated the kingdom.
"He isn't reacting to events."
The nebula storm spiraled overhead.
"He's arriving before events finish happening."
Shay remained silent.
Alaric's gaze hardened.
"And what terrifies me is not his speed."
The wind abruptly intensified.
Loose dust scattered across the rooftop as celestial lightning illuminated the entire skyline.
"It's how casually he's doing it."
A quiet unease settled into his voice.
"True magical Spite was never meant to flow through a vessel continuously."
His eyes followed another streak of nebular light.
"Magic burns energy."
"Physical Ascension burns the body."
"Aether Will burns conviction."
A distant thunderclap echoed across the kingdom.
"But Celestial Power burns existence itself."
The words lingered.
"Every second Solarynth maintains this output, he is forcing a mortal vessel to contain something that was meant to reside among stars."
Shay slowly looked back toward the kingdom.
Nebula-colored lightning continued weaving through the city.
Countless lives were still being saved.
"He looks fine."
Alaric's expression darkened.
"For now."
A heavy tension settled over the rooftop.
"Because Stars don't collapse immediately."
His grip tightened around his cane.
"They collapse all at once..."